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Research at UBC Science

Ranked as one of the world’s leading public universities, UBC is home to top-tier researchers in the life, physical, earth and computational sciences.

Understanding and preserving

Biodiversity

UBC brings together a cluster of 50 renowned evolutionary biologists, zoologists and botanists working to understand the complexities of biological diversity, evolution, plant and animal physiology, and conservation.

Training and research platforms for

New materials

Teams of world-class material scientists and chemists at UBC are expanding our understanding of super conductors, nano-materials, organic compounds, catalysts, and more. The work could transform electronics, energy and medicine.

New frontiers in the

Earth sciences

Across departments, UBC researchers are elucidating the cycles that drive geological, atmospheric and ocean processes on Earth. With international partners like NASA and the CSA, they’re also discovering what we can learn from these processes on distant planets.

UBC Science faculty members are consistently named to a range of esteemed awards and hold 50 Canada Research Chairs.

170 spin-off companies have evolved from UBC—a third reflect the work of UBC Science-affiliated investigators.

International collaborations in

Physics + astronomy

Home to Canada's national lab for particle and nuclear physics, UBC also plays key roles at CERN, SLAC, JPARK and other major international collaborations. Together, UBC astronomers and cosmologists are broadening our understanding of the very nature of the Universe.

Interdisciplinary research excellence in

Health + genomics

UBC is home to two of Canada’s strongest interdisciplinary life sciences and genomics hubs, and our researchers are leaders in molecular genetics, genomics, bioengineering, personalized medicine and microbial research.

Collaborative research in

Computers + graphics

In partnership with other universities and industry, UBC computer scientists are conducting research that runs the digital gamut from AI, to network and security research, to HCI, to advanced graphics algorithms.

Top-tier research teams in

Math + data science

Teams working across the computational sciences—including in probability, algebra, geometry and discrete math—are working to uncover fundamental new models and apply the mathematical sciences to pressing issues.

Evidence to transform

STEM education

UBC is a North America leader in generating and applying research to facilitate large-scale science education transformation. More than 180 undergrad UBC Science courses have adopted evidence-based enriched learning practices.